Ukraine returns 307 more Ukrainians from captivity

As a result of the second stage of the prisoner exchange in the “1000-for-1000” format, 307 Ukrainians returned home.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi announced that the exchange is expected to continue on May 25.

“Another 307 Ukrainian defenders are home. Today is the second day of the ‘1000-for-1000’ exchange, which was agreed upon in Turkey,” the president said.

In just two days, 697 people have already been returned.

The servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, in particular the Airborne Forces, the USF, the Navy, the Territorial Defense Forces, as well as the State Border Service and the National Guard of Ukraine, have returned to their homeland.

“Prisoners from separate units and military units were freed for the first time,” the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War reported.

As part of the current exchange, 27 defenders of Mariupol are returning home.

All 307 freed defenders are men, representing the ranks and sergeant corps.

In total, Ukrainians who fought in the Donetsk, Kherson, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, and Luhansk regions are returning home. The defenders released from captivity will undergo the necessary medical examination, receive physical and psychological rehabilitation assistance, as well as all due payments for the entire period of their captivity.

Today’s exchange and return of 307 Ukrainian soldiers is the second part of the large-scale “1000-for-1000” exchange. Yesterday, May 23, 390 Ukrainians were released.

All key Ukrainian institutions are working on the implementation of a step-by-step plan for the exchange of prisoners. On May 17, the USF announced that it had begun preparations for a large-scale exchange. The USF has compiled a list of Russian military personnel held in Ukrainian captivity who can be handed over to the Russian Federation.

On April 19, Ukraine returned 277 defenders from Russian captivity, including soldiers who defended Mariupol — soldiers, sergeants, and officers.